Yet another new breakthrough in the happening world of micron-level machine-designing - yes, it’s a meticulous converging of microorganisms with MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems). Scientists inspired by a tiny brown worm’s - single-celled Spirostomum - capability of contracting its 500-micrometer-long body to 25% of its length in a millisecond, thought of integrating it with MEMS!
For developing such biotic-MEMS, researcher Xiaorong Xiong of Intel, microbiologist Mary Lidstrom, and electrical engineer Babak Parviz have recently catalogued a large number of such microorganisms for different areas of MEMS systems.
Amazingly, many of these microorganisms can offer capabilities beyond what the conventional MEMS technology possess! They can synthesize at least 64 different inorganic materials that are generally used in MEMS technology.
According to PhysOrg.com, Parviz said,
Traditionally, it has always been technology that has come to the aid of biology. Historically, new technological developments have resulted in the creation of new capabilities to conduct biological studies. Recently, tools and concepts have been increasingly borrowed from biology to solve technology problems. Biological concepts such as self-assembly are under serious consideration by technologists now for making highly integrated nano and micro systems.
The synthesis is carried on by the process - called bio-mineralization. This process dates back not any time of the technology era, but more than 700 million years!
It is by genetically modifying this age-old process, scientists desire to produce MEMS materials - like silicon dioxide, biogenic calcite and magnets.
